About Shared Lives

Shared Lives matches people aged 18+ with a dedicated Shared Lives carer who opens up their home and family life to that person.

Each person in need of support has different goals, and so each Shared Lives arrangement also looks different. They can involve: 

• short-term breaks - where a carer welcomes an adult or young person into their home for anything from a few hours, a night or a couple of weeks. It may be a 'one-off' or planned on a regular basis
• long-term arrangements - where a carer has someone move into their home for a few weeks, months or many years

Because Shared Lives takes place in carers' homes, it's often compared to fostering. But instead of being about parenting, the bond formed is more like a friendship. That's because as well as those supported being 18 or over, we carefully match people based on their likes, hobbies and interests - the same foundations that glue any other great friendship together.

Many people across Gateshead choose to be Shared Lives carers. They come from all walks of life, just like those they're matched with. Could you be one of them?